Dear You
by Hyperactive Lioness
Summary: And then she saw it. Laying on her bed like it had the right to be there. A scroll." Mai's thoughts and feelings when she read the letter that Zuko left for her. Songfic for Josh Auer's "Dear You". Just a bit of Maiko fluff :


**Hey! This is yet another one of my Avatar oneshots\songfics... I just have so many ideas for them! :) And I haven't watched the third season recently, so I forget whether or not Mai reads Zuko's letter out loud or not.... So this is just my take on that note he left her!**

**DISCLAIMER: Avatar belongs to the wonderful Bryan and Mike, and "Dear You" belongs to Josh Auer!**

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**Dear You**

Mai walked into her room, an odd expression on her face. If one didn't know her, they would have said that her face was completely blank, unreadable, expressionless. But if one was one of the few people who really _knew _Mai, the real her, and not just her public facade, then one would notice the slight quirk of her lips, the upward slant of her usually furrowed eyebrows, the shine in her dark eyes.

They would see that Mai was happy.

And she had good reason to be. She was finally back in the Fire Nation where she belonged, after endless days of endless makeovers when she, Azula and Ty Lee had been masquerading as Keyoshi warriors in Ba Sing Se. The Earth Kingdom had fallen, making her nation the most powerful in the world, and she herself was a powerful individual in that nation. And most importantly, her boyfriend, the scarred Fire Prince Zuko, had finally been brought home after years of banishment. He was home, he was happy as well, and he loved her.

_**Here's a thought, we're all that we've got in the world**_

_**If we let it be, we're only as good as the fall**_

And then she saw it. Laying on her bed like it had the right to be there.

A scroll.

**_And here's a note_**

**_To say all the words I couldn't say_**

If Mai was smiling, it disappeared right away. She had a bad feeling about this little piece of rolled up paper, and her intuition was rarely wrong. She approached the scroll and picked it up. On the outside, her face betrayed no change of emotion, but inside her heart was hammering against her chest.

She unraveled the paper.

**_Dear you_**

**_I say that you're the only one for me_**

**_Say that I will never, ever leave_**

_Dear Mai, _were the first words she read, and then she closed her eyes. It was from Zuko, not from Azula as she had feared. But even so, her eyes snapped open and she read on warily. _I'm sorry it has to be like this, but--_

Her eyes widened, the first real show of emotion since she had walked into the room. He was breaking up with her?

_--know that I still love you, and--_

She sneered. That's what they all said before leaving.

**_Dear you_**

**_ I see the future growing old again_**

**_Settle down, with no other girl in the world_**

_--I still want to be with you, but I have to do something on my own. Let me explain..._ Mai didn't give him the chance. She threw the scroll as hard as she could at the wall and sank onto her bed. For the first time in years, she felt telltale wetness pool up in the corners of her eyes. She didn't let the tears fall, though. Zuko wasn't worth it.

XxXxX

**_Here's a thought, you're all that I've got in the world_**

**_If I let you go, I'm only as good as the fall_**

The next morning after a vigorous training session, Mai felt like she was ready to face him again. She clenched her teeth and picked up the scroll.

_Let me explain... Azula killed the Avatar, not me, and I have good reason to believe that he isn't dead. You see, when I was trapped under Ba Sing Se with the waterbender girl, she offered to heal my scar with water from the Spirit Oasis--_

The scroll fell to the floor once again, and Mai stalked out of the room, suddenly feeling the need for more training. That afternoon, ever single one of the practice dummies that she hit with her daggers had the face of the waterbender.

XxXxX

**_Dear you_**

**_I say that you're the only one for me_**

**_Say that I will never, ever leave_**

Mai decided to grit her teeth and just read the rest of the letter; no matter how horrible his words made her feel. The scroll felt heavy in her hands as she unrolled it and saw his familiar, messy handwriting.

_--but before she could, my uncle and the Avatar found us. I think that she must have used that water to heal the Avatar's wound. While I was living in the palace, I sent an assassin to track and kill him, but he hasn't been successful, which, as I figured out, was a good thing._

Mai's breath caught in her throat. A good thing...

He wouldn't. He wouldn't simply just throw away his family, his throne, his life... He wouldn't throw away _her _for the Avatar!

_I've realized these past couple days that I've been on the wrong side of this war, Mai._

_**Dear you**_

_**I see the future growing old again**_

_**Settle down, with no other girl in the world  
**_

"No, Zuko," she whispered, pain clouding her dark eyes. She was suddenly less angry with him, and far more worried for him. She _had _realized that Azula was more smug then usual, recently. He was going to be killed. Him and his precious honor, his scar, his long dark hair that she used to run her fingers through, his warm golden eyes that would smile just for her. Fire Lord Ozai would never let him live.

For the second time in so many days, Mai felt her eyes well up with tears. Not angry tears, this time.

She set the letter aside and still didn't let her tears fall.

XxXxX

_**Ooh, ahh, no other girl in the world**_

_I'm going to find the Avatar and teach him firebending._

"You're going to get killed, Zuko," she said quietly. "You're so selfless, but have you thought about how this will affect you? How it's affecting _me_?"

XxXxX

**_Dear you_**

**_I say that you're the only one for me_**

**_Say that I will never, ever leave  
_**

_Hopefully his group will be accepting of me, and forgive the wrongs I've dealt them in the past._

Again, the image of the waterbender girl flashed in Mai's mind, and she snarled at the letter and had a flash of hope that the Avatar's friends would turn him away, turn him back to her, but they wouldn't.

They needed Zuko.

But so did she.

XxXxX

**_Dear you_**

**_I see the future growing old again_**

**_Settle down, with no other girl in the world  
_**

_I know I'm being selfish in asking you to wait for me--_

She ground her teeth vehemently, struck with a desire to find someone else, someone to rub in his face, someone to hurt him like he was hurting her. But she knew that Zuko would be the only one she'd ever love, ever touch, ever hold.

_--but I want you to know that you're the only one for me, Mai. I'll never love anyone else. I don't often say things like this, but..._

And then Mai noticed the blank spot in the parchment, a spot that was warped and wrinkled by the water that had been splashed upon it.

Not water, she realized. Tears.

And then, finally, tears of her own dripped down to join his.

XxXxX

**_Sincerely_**

**_The one who gave his whole world for you_**

**_The one who gave his whole heart to you  
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_I'm leaving now, Mai. I'm strapping on my swords and tying my cloak and I'm leaving you. And if I die before I get to have you in my arms again, I just want you to know that I love you. I love you more then you'll ever know, Mai. But just in case I don't make it through the war, I'm breaking up with you. If I die, be happy... Well, as happy as you can be, and find someone else._

_But if I live, wait for me. Wait for me, and I'll find you. We'll have kids and grow old together and this war will have been nothing but a bad dream. This is why I'm going to find the Avatar... He's the only one who can end it. He's the only one that will bring me back to you._

_Goodbye, Mai._

_-Zuko_

XxXxX

**_Dear you_**

**_I see the future growing old again, settle down  
_**

"Your uncle just wrote to say that they've captured Zuzu at the Boiling Rock," Azula commented off-handedly as she was watching Mai train. The dagger that she had just thrown went wide, and she turned to Azula, carefully guarding her emotions so the Fire Nation princess wouldn't see her surprise, eagerness, and anger. "I think it's about time you two were reunited, don't you?"

Mai nodded, afraid that words would fail her. Azula smirked.

"I thought so. Let's go, then."

**_With no other girl in the world_**

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**So there you have it! Sorry if it was a little cute for your Maiko tastes, but I just had to get rid of this plot bunny. And sorry again if Mai had read the actual letter out loud in the series, once again, blame the plot bunny! And expect another plot-bunny-induced fic about Suki to come out later this week :)  
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**Review!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:  
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